cocktail notes

last week, my brother requested some recipes for easy cocktails. i wrote up a thing, then thought i would expand and post it here.

i tried to follow some rules:

• very tasty!
• easy to make, not too many ingredients, no difficult techniques needed; infusions and homemade syrups optional.
• easy to find and inexpensive ingredients and brands
• no exotic ingredients (that will take you forever to use up because it only works in one cocktail and only if you use a dash. i’m looking at you, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse, and absinthe.)

some terminology

neat. from the bottle to the glass. also known as straight up, though if you use this term, the bartender will probably think you are a noob or tard.
on the rocks. served with ice cubes.
up. chilled, but served without ice.

equipment

• muddler of some kind. the end of a dowel-type rolling pin should be fine
• juicer of some kind. this style is recommended.
• shaker of some kind. 16 oz mason jar? sure why not.
• reasonably fine strainer (like this)
• reasonably large ice cubes (like this)
• peeler for twists (optional) (like this)
• something to measure fluid ounces in half- or quarter-ounce increments (optional if minding ratios, and/or making large batches) (like this or this)

technique

ice. use a lot, enough so there is some peeking (not floating) above the surface. even more if you can spare it.
simple syrup. 1 part water + 1 part sugar (organic preferred, imo the flavor is superior). heat or shake until dissolved.
flavored syrups. 1 part water + 1 part brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, jam, etc. or, 1 part fruit juice + 3/4 parts sugar or other sweetener.
stirring. 40-60 seconds.
shaking. 20-30 seconds.
dilution. stirring or shaking is meant to dilute as well as chill. but if your drink still seems too intense or viscous or cloying, don’t be shy about adding water, even as much as 1 oz.
garnishes. twists are optional, but they add a lot to a drink and are easy to make. watch a video about them here. you can make twists from lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit for any drink. whatever sounds good to you. be sure to scrub and rinse the fruit before peeling.
bitters.a few drops of bitters can really make a drink pop. aromatic bitters (most often referred to as “angostura”, even though there are many brands of aromatic bitters, and even though angostura makes other flavors of bitters) and orange bitters (regan or angostura are the most common and respected brands) are versatile and good to have on hand.

liquor brands

i am not an expert. the following are brands that i personally like and/or are recommended by bartenders or writers i respect, and aren’t too expensive. there are plenty of other good brands, and plenty of not-good brands, so do your cyberbahn research.

[edit: i put together a spreadsheet of partial list of sf spirit award winners

and this: http://www.ultimate-beverage.com/cocktail-competition/cocktail-tasting-results/
and this: http://www.tastings.com/
and this: http://www.7x7.com/eat-drink/ultimate-five-bottle-bar-perfect-apartment-dwelling]

bourbon. bulleit, buffalo trace, jim beam, benchmark, wild turkey 101, old grand-dad, old crow reserve
rye. rittenhouse, old overholt, sazerac, wild turkey 101, templeton
dark rum. goslings, cruzan blackstrap, coruba, appleton extra
vodka. svedka, sobieski, monopolowa, luksoswa
rum. appleton vx (gold ok but not as good), flor de cana, el dorado 3 or 5, barbancourt, mount gay sugar cane rum (more on rum)
tequila. azul, jose cuervo tradicional reposado (but not the cheaper stuff), espolon
gin. plymouth, hendricks, beefeater, new amsterdam
brandy. paul masson vsop, delord armagnac 10yr
sweet vermouth. martini and rossi, noilly prat, carpano antica. vermouth needs to be refrigerated after opening. quality declines rapidly.
champagne. roederer brut
triple sec. cointreau, luxardo, brizard, hiram walker, bols, giffard, clement creole shrubb. note that proof and flavor vary a lot between brands, and so each will yield a different but still tasty drink.

recipes

busdriver
2 oz lillet blanc, chilled
3/4 oz vodka or gin
one or more of the following:

• infuse the spirit for at least a day (longer is ok) with grapefruit zest and cut-up fruit (no pith) (one grapefruit is enough for a fifth of booze)

• 1/2 oz fresh red grapefruit juice or muddled 1/8 of a red grapefruit
• a couple dashes of grapefruit bitters

stir with ice, fine strain. serve up.

sidecar
2 oz brandy
1 oz lemon
1/4 oz simple syrup
3/4 oz triple sec

shake with ice, fine strain. serve up. sometimes served with sugar rim, but this is superfluous. and messy. some might say detrimental.

margarita
2 oz tequila
1 oz citrus (lime, or up to 50% lemon)
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz triple sec

shake with ice, fine strain. served up or on the rocks.

pineapple-jalepeno variant: add one slice of muddled jalepeno. and sub simple syrup with pineapple syrup: 3 parts pineapple juice + 2 parts sugar. if you have some fresh pineapple, muddle a piece or two as well.

pseudo manhattan
2 oz bourbon, rye, or combination (i prefer 1 oz of each)
3/4 oz sweet vermouth
1 tsp fruit syrup or liqueur (tart is good. so, cherry, blackcurrant, raspberry. maybe aperol, or triple sec. probably not pineapple, ginger, or elderflower, but you could try.)

stir with ice, fine strain. serve up. if you have angostura bitters, use a couple dashes. it will taste good without, but it won’t be a real manhattan.

dark and stormy
2 oz dark rum
1/2 oz lime
sweetener*
two slices of ginger

*1/2 oz falernum, or 1 1/2 oz ginger ale, or 1/2 oz simple syrup.

muddle the ginger, add remaining ingredients (except ginger ale) shake with ice, fine strain, serve on the rocks. if you’re using ginger ale, add it now and stir gently. otherwise, add soda water (optional).

falernum recipe here, although i don’t really approve of the quick recipe. i recommend putting all ingredients in some rum for a few days, strain, then equal parts of this mixture and rich syrup (2:1 sugar:water, heated until dissolved). note, the key flavor is clove. the remaining flavors are optional. in order of importance: lime zest, ginger, everything else.

french 75
1 oz gin
1/2 oz lemon
1/2 oz simple syrup*
2 to 4 oz champagne

*variant: use a syrup like elderflower from ikea or d’arbo, pineapple gum from small hands, or maybe the syrup from a can of lychees. or any fruit liqueur.

shake all ingredients, except champagne, with ice, fine strain. top with champagne.

modified bourbon sour
2 oz bourbon
1/2 oz lemon
1/2 oz sweetener*

shake with ice, fine strain. serve up or on the rocks.

*dissolve 1 part honey in 1 part water or orange juice. or dissolve 1 part maple syrup in 1 part water or orange juice.

variant: add one egg white. increase lemon and sweetener to 1 oz each. shake without ice, shake with ice, fine strain

optional: orange twist, orange bitters, angostura bitters, peychaud bitters, muddled orange slice or kumquat (deseeded)

mai tai
2 oz rum
1 oz lime
1/2 oz triple sec
3/4 oz orgeat*

*if you don’t feel like making or buying it: 1 part unsalted almonds, muddled + 3-4 parts simple syrup. or 1 part sugar + 1 part almond milk.

shake with ice, fine strain. serve on the rocks.

optional: substitute 1 oz of the rum for dark rum, either mixed into the drink or (better yet) dumped on top. also optional: sprig of mint, spanked.